More than 2.1 billion people across the world play mobile games, and that figure continues to rise along with the industry’s annual revenue of $50 billion. To what end do you go about catering to such a massive customer base? Variety, quality, and quantity.

Choosing: the hard part

Choosing the top mobile games was a difficult task. It’s a lot of work to sift through the hundreds of games that have been added to app stores, not to mention the library of well-respected classics and lesser-known treasures that are currently available. Despite this, you can find below a list of some of the most impressive entrants of the past couple of years:

Tetris

The ultimate mobile platform for the greatest puzzle game ever created. Tetris remains a pillar in the field and totally unaffected by the ebb and flow of the latest trends in mobile gaming. 

The official EA version has a fresh coat of paint, additional modes, and online leaderboards, making it the preferred method of play even if there are several imitations accessible. Underneath its new sweets palette and despite the game’s extra padding, Tetris’ greatest strength is that it will always be just Tetris. That’s tough to top, to say the least.

Crazy Time

Have you ever felt like you need some added excitement in your life? Although sky-diving and parasailing are surefire adrenaline boosts, they aren’t always the most available (nor safest) activities you can go for on a Sunday afternoon. 

Although a step away from sky-diving, participating in the online, money-spinner gameshow Crazy Time is one way to add some action. Despite being at the mercy of the hand of fate, there is still some Crazy Time strategy that you can reserach and try to take chance into your grasp.

Plague Inc.

One of the very first viral games dating all the way back to 2012, Plague Inc is a strategic, real-time strategy game meant to simulate the effects of a disease that spread around the world.

The aim of the game is simple, eradicate the human population. How you do this as a hyper-intelligent, adaptable disease is up to you. Wrap your mind around the games numerous puzzles and difficult challenges as you pick up a few bits of biology knowhow on the way to the finish line.

Florence

Florence is a mobile game that will seem familiar to anyone who has ever been involved in a relationship. Florence is the ultimate embodiment of the ephemeral nature of a passionate bond between two strangers, from the moment you first share an apartment together to the moment you finally have your first fight as a couple. 

Even if love can be painful, you owe it to yourself to witness this short but powerful tale of two people finding their way to one another and to happiness. Try not to get too emotional.

Mini Metro

There’s an odd solace in knowing that almost every Mini Metro game you play will end in defeat. This optimization and growth simulation game forces you into a never-ending cycle of playing catch-up as you manage the demands of an ever-expanding public transportation network that includes many metro lines. When your painstakingly constructed machine finally gives up under the pressure, there is nothing more rewarding than getting to start again with a clean slate and giving it another shot.

Desert Golfing

You are all by yourself in the desert. There’s a golf ball sitting in front of you. A yellow flag denotes a boring hole beyond that point. On top of that? In other words, it’s the exact same setting. Time and time again. It’s easy to dismiss Desert Golfing as unremarkable, and that’s because it isn’t; nonetheless, that’s precisely where the magic resides. It’s deceptively easy to do, strange, and mesmerizing, with immediate and long-term benefits.

Apex Legends

When it comes to massively popular console and PC games making the transition to mobile, Apex Legends is one of the few examples that stands out as a success. 

Apex Legends takes a standardized battle royale FPS game experience to the smallest screens possible and somehow still manages to make an engaging game. Although the controls can be wanting, the unique movement mechanics that are key to the Apex experience are still all present, perfectly accented by the game’s ability to retain it’s complex map and characters.